


Macarons

by duckiesandlemons



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: College AU, M/M, kind of, ygoshipolympics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-06
Updated: 2015-06-06
Packaged: 2018-04-03 02:50:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 6,033
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4083784
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/duckiesandlemons/pseuds/duckiesandlemons
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Shun's a famous food critic (apparently, he's not sure where this came from) and he's absolutely charmed by the macarons made by one Sakaki Yuuya. A romance born through pastries and warm smiles.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Mint Macarons

**Author's Note:**

> Written for ygoshipolympics and the prompt Hospitals + Flowers!
> 
> Sparrowshipping AU

He’s not one for sweets.  Not that many sweets, at least.  So when he’s presented with a fine array of sweets to taste test in front of him he grimaces.  Fluffy cream piled high on decadent cakes coated in chocolate drizzle, warm cobblers with flaky crusts that when broken ooze sweet sauce and juicy fruit, colorful macarons with various fillings sandwiched between them and made to be cute shapes, petite fours coated in thin layers of white chocolate topped with thick buttercream--it’s a sweets paradise.  He’s not one for sweets and yet here he is.  Faced with a multitude of them with excited patissiers looking at him as if he were God.

Kurosaki Shun isn’t God.

He’s just a simple university student trying to get his degree in Zoology so he can go and study birds.

Birds.

“When you’re ready, Kurosaki,” he’s told and Shun wonders why he was even chosen as a taste tester for some contest or whatever.  He’s not even sure what this is, what rumors did people come up with, that said he’s the aficionado of sweets.  If anything that should fall to that one brat who actually went to culinary school for sweets.

“I don’t eat sweets,” be honest up front, and he’ll get out of this with maybe some dignity in tact.

“Ahaha, that’s a wonderful joke, Kurosaki,” the presenter laughs along with all the other hopeful patissiers.  “You’re a well known food critic--especially of the sweets variety.  We’re honored to have you here.”

“No, really--”

He feels like he needs to remind them that he’s studying birds.

“First up is an angel food cake topped with a raspberry sorbet and--”

Shun tunes out anything else the presenter has to say.  His eyes are focused on the cake before him, topped with some drizzle and plated with a single scoop of raspberry sorbet.  Shun doesn’t even do ice cream let alone sorbets.  

“I’m a university student, I don’t really--this event--” Shun tries again.

The look the presenter gives him makes him fall quiet.  Shun shudders.  Everyone’s gazes are on him, on the cake, expecting him to take a bite from it and judge it.  See who would come out on top or whatever.

No harm done, he supposes, but still.  He looks back at the cake, absorbing the slightly melted sorbet, and swallows.  This is going to be his death, he’s going to be sent to the hospital because he imbibed too many sweets.  Too many pastries and cakes and lord knows what else they’re going to present him with.

Shun picks up his fork, cuts off a bit of the cake (soaked in sorbet), and takes a bite.

“...too rich,” he ends up saying.  The fruitiness of the sorbet would have complemented it well, if the vanilla of the frosting hadn’t clashed.  “The drizzle is unnecessary, it adds too much fruit flavor to the cake when it’s already absorbing the melted sorbet.  The frosting also doesn’t help.”  Shun puts his fork down, “A lighter layer would have worked--it’s a good attempt.”

One of the patissiers looks ready to cry.  At least Shun can pinpoint which dream he absolutely crushed.  Accidentally, in a ways, because he still didn’t want to do this.  The presenter frowns and motions for the next one to come in.

The next after that.

And after that.

After that.

Until Shun feels a bit nauseated just from eating one or two bites of sweets because they’re just not his thing.  

The presenter places another dish in front of him, some menagerie of lord knows what and Shun can already feel his stomach roil in protest.  Too many sweets, it tells him, please stop, and he wants to.

“Can I get some water?” he asks because his glass is almost empty from downing gulps of it at a time from each dish.

“Of course!” and his glass is refilled.  Another drink, another bite, and sugar floods Shun’s mouth.  He reaches for the water again, eyes are on him, and he should take one more bite but--

“It’s good,” he rasps, “but it’s...too much.”

“Too much?”

“Sugar, everything, the flavors are trying to overpower each other do you want to kill someone’s mouth?”

He’s usually not very harsh but this one just takes the cake--pun intended.  There’s murmurs from the audience, someone is heard sobbing, and the presenter a bit grim.

“K-Kurosaki, most of these have been barely to your approval, there has to be at least something good?” the presenter’s voice is shaking for the first time in the long while Shun’s been here.  

He snorts, “A couple, but even then.”

Every dish is not without flaws.  

“I told you, I don’t like sweets,” and then the final plate is placed in front of him.  A small dish, with three pastel green colored macarons on them and with a darker green filling.  Shun eyes them with some hesitance, because a plain dish served last after all these elaborate ones.

“Mint macarons,” the presenter says.  That’s it, nothing special added in to it.  No ganache covering or anything, just simple mint macarons.  Shun picks one up, takes in the weight and the feel, thinks about his stomach, thinks about how mint helps soothe it, and decides to eat it anyways.  It’s the last dish, after all.

He takes a bite and it feels like heaven is in his mouth.

“It’s good,” he says, and that’s it.  He eats the second one, people watch in awe.

“Anything else to say?” the presenter has their hands clasped together, wringing them nervously, mouth twisted into a shaky smile.

“That’s it,” he says and reaches for the third.  “They’re good, the best I’ve had the entire time.”  People stare in awe as he eats the third and final one.  Someone makes a horrified noise, the presenter breaks out into a sweat, and turns to look out at the gathered patissiers.

“W-who made the mint macarons again?”

“I did.”

And Shun looks out across the audience as a _teenager_ raises his hand, wearing jeans to a formal event, and with the most ridiculous head of red and green hair Shun has seen.  “I--Sakaki Yuuya, from the Sakaki Bakery,” the Presenter tells Shun.

Shun nods, “Good work.”

He may be a bit in love.

 

 


	2. Chocolate Ganache

The headlines that day are ridiculous, in Shun’s opinion.  Famed food critic Kurosaki, known for his scathing but honest reviews, charmed by the simplicity of mint macarons made by some unknown bakery who only happened to get in on this prestigious event by luck.  To be honest, Shun still doesn’t know why he ended up there.  When all he had been told was “you have a party to go to, it’s mandatory” by his sister and then marched out the door, well.

“Weirder things have happened,” he tells himself and closes out of his e-mail.  Really, the only reason Shun became aware of the article is because Reiji had sent it with the message of:

_I didn’t know you liked sweets and that you were a five star food critic._

Shun isn’t sure he’s even eligible for two stars.  He just knows that he gets good money if he goes out every now and then, eats a dish, reviews it, and then turns it in.  A university student has to get money somehow, and that seemed to be the easiest way to do it.  He’s not even a professional.  Just a student who does it when he needs the money and a magazine or newspaper is willing to take his review.

An amateur.

“People take things out of context,” he murmurs and continues cataloguing the birds he had seen that day for an assignment.  “I don’t even know why they think I’m popular.”

His phone goes off with another notification from an editor wanting him to do a review of some new place that opened up down on Melodious Street.  An e-mail requesting his services.  Shun stares at it for all of two seconds before sending in his reply of, “I’ll think on it, but only when I have time.”  That should be satisfactory enough.

“Brother!” and the door to his room slams open, Ruri standing there with Rin not too far behind her.  “What’s with this headline!?”

“Another one?” Shun turns in his chair to look at what Ruri is holding.  A newspaper, his picture on the front, and a headline reading something along the lines of:

**Well known food critic Kurosaki brought to his knees by a simple macaron--it seems simple truly is better**

“It’s not bad,” he says.

“Yeah, but it’s a deceiving headline!” Ruri looks at Rin.  “Isn’t that right?”

Rin nods, “The article goes on about how maybe you’ve refined your tongue too much that anything fancy is jaded, and that you judged the others unfairly.”

Shun makes a face, “I don’t like sweets, I even said that.”

“They wouldn’t listen anyways, they’re too caught up in getting the famed Kurosaki to review their stuff,” Ruri crumples the paper up and tosses it to Rin, who dutifully starts smoothing it out again.

“But it should be an honor to receive that invitation,” Rin insists.  “It’s only a twice a year event, and it gathers some of the best patissiers in town.”

“So is the Sakaki Bakery one of them?” he asks.

Silence.

“W-well,” Rin’s voice squeaks a bit, “No?”

“Is that why the articles are so up in arms?”

“Maybe?”

“It’s just some dinky bakery on Show Time Boulevard,” Ruri answers.  “I mean, they’re locally famous but not like up there--ow!”

“Be a little more gentle, Ruri--”

“C’mon Rin, you know it’s true--”

Shun tunes his sisters out, already getting up to reach for his notebook, pencil case, and bag.  Ruri and Rin stop squabbling, staring at him as he starts moving around his room getting ready.  “Where you going, bro?” Ruri is already stepping out of his way.

“To the Sakaki Bakery,” he’s already grabbing his keys.  “To make people shut up.”

He’ll never get to finish his project with all these people going on and on about how he criticized everything unfairly.  It’s not his damn fault that they asked him to taste test sweets, they knew he’s brutally honest.  Shun even stayed behind and helped those who asked for advice on how to fix their dishes.  His own opinions, honestly, and they were free to do whatever.

But for everyone to get up in arms because some local bakery beat out everyone else?

“These people are fucking nuts,” he mumbles.

“Wait, wait!” and Rin is coming up beside him in her coat.  “Let me come with!”

“What for?”

“Uhm,” her face turns a light shade of pink, “Y-Yuugo works there so--”

Ah.

“You’re allowed a five sentence limit.”

“Brother!”

“I’ll watch the house!” Ruri shouts just as the door closes.  Shun locks the door, yells through the door for Ruri to text him if she needs them to get her anything, and he’s following Rin down the steps out to the main street.

“So what is it exactly that you said was so good it made people cry?” Rin asks once they’re at the bus stop.

Shun shrugs, “Mint macarons.”

“Mint macarons?”

“Yeah, they were good.”

Rin laughs, “That’s the first time I think you’ve ever said something was good without a thousand foot notes to it.”

“I’m not that bad,” he shoves his hands into his jacket pockets.  

“The worst,” she giggles a bit, “you always make faces when I get something wrong in cooking.”

“Because you can do better,” he tells her.  And she can.  Rin’s his sister, she has Kurosaki blood in her, and if there’s one thing that Kurosakis can do _well_ it’s cooking.  Unless you’re Ruri.  He’s still not sure what’s going on there but it’s a well known fact that Ruri can make a stove hate her in less than three seconds.

“So what was wrong with the last one?”

“The meat, you didn’t let it marinate long enough,” he tells her.  “Another hour would have done it good.”

“And listen to Ruri complain about being hungry for an hour?”

The bus pulls up just as she finishes saying that.  Shun shrugs, gets on and swipes his pass.  Rin does the same.  “She can tough it out,” he says as he sits down.

“That’s awfully mean.”

“It’s Ruri,” and as much as Shun loves her, there are just some things about her that drive him up the wall.  That’s a normal sibling thing, really.

The ride to Show Time Boulevard is relatively short, spent with Shun doing some research on his phone about what exactly they had and the rumors Rin’s heard about them.  Their specialties actually lied in a breakfast special served every Sunday--pancake sandwiches.  Macarons seemed to be a new thing, and they also made a pretty mean buttercream icing.  They also had fresh bread daily, and their main draw was the open kitchen where you could see them work.

That and they had, apparently, two cute sons.

Adorable sons.

“All these reviews talk about their kids,” Shun mumbles.  “What the hell.”

“Most of their customers are ladies.”

That explained everything.

They get off at their stop, and it’s a quick walk to the bakery.  It’s...not very impressive on the outside.  The sign needs to be repaired and the lettering on the window is faded.  The tables up front are still plastic, with plastic chairs, and Shun thinks it’s seen better days.  It doesn’t stop people from lining up, and the inside is packed.

“Let’s go!” Rin’s pushing him towards the door.

It opens with a cheery jingle.  

His nose is assaulted by the smell of freshly baked bread, of warm dough rising, and his ears filled with the excited chatter of college students and people coming off of work.

“Two honey glazed sweet rolls!  One eclaire!”

There’s the ring of a cash register.

“Five rose macarons!”

Someone raises their hand.

It’s bustling.  

“Ah, Rin!  Riiiiiin!”  Shun thinks he sees an arm clad in white waving enthusiastically from over the throng of people but he just...conveniently ignores it.

“Get us a table,” he says, making his way into the line.

“Brother--”

“Riiiiiiiin, over heeeeere!”

“Yuugo, get back to work!”

“But Rin is here--”

“Rin is--”

There’s the sound of some crashing, someone yelling, and Shun wonders how is it this place produced some of the best macarons.

No, really?

“Are they okay?” he asks, making his way through the crowd to the counter where a blond woman stood shaking her head.

“Oh, they’re fine,” she says.  “My boys can take a fall or two--oh!  Oh, Yuuya, Yuuya get up!  That food critic is here!”

“Huh, mom, what do you mean?”

And Shun recognizes the teen who gets up off of the floor as the same one who made those delicious mint macarons at the sampler.  His heart pounds in his chest.

“Look!  Kurosaki!  The one who chose your macarons over everyone else!”

“Oh!”  the boy, Yuuya, starts panicking and wiping at his face.  “Shoot, I have chocolate on my face, Yuugo were you messing with the chocolate again--”

“I was making ganache, you dumbass--”

Shun just stares at Yuuya and thinks of those macarons.

“Can we help you?” the woman asks, giving him a smile.  

“Ah, I just came here to do some tasting,” he holds up his notebook.  The woman startles.  

“Oh, please!  Choose whatever you want!”

“I’ll wait in line--”

“No, I insist!”

Yuuya and Yuugo (a banana, that’s all Shun can think seeing him) are also encouraging him, though Yuuya looks a bit more nervous than the others.  “Mint macarons,” Shun says automatically, “do you have them?”

Yuuya jumps, “N-no, I didn’t make any today but I did make some rose and chocolate ones.”

“I’ll take them, as well as--” he looks behind him for Rin, who comes running up.

“A cream puff please!  And an apple tart!”

“C-coming up!” and Yuuya goes to fetch the requested items while their mom rings Shun up.

When Shun sits down he has his notebook next to him, pen poised, and plate of macarons in front of him.  He picks up a beige one--chocolate--and takes a bite.

Shun doesn’t even like sweets but his pen starts moving.  

 


	3. Peach Cobbler

**Review of the Sakaki Bakery on Show Time Avenue:**

_Certain items are hit or a miss, but the local bakery lives up to its reputation of being a hit among the people in the area._

Shun deletes his first line.

He has his notes opened next to him, various things scrawled on the paper and some things scratched out.  There’s a tiny doodle of a bird on the corner from when Rin absconded with one of his pens.  He’s been trying to write this review for a while now, and it always sounds like some article for a Martha Stewart magazine or something else along those lines.  Definitely not in the same vein as “proving that those mint macarons earned his approval fair and square.”

Shun thinks about those chocolate ones, too.  The rose had been nice, but--

_The pastries themselves had some room for improvement, but my main goal of going there had been to see if they did serve the macarons that I enjoyed last time during the taste testing, or if it had been a one time only thing.  I had been in luck_

That’s deleted, too.

“Bro, dinner’s ready!” Ruri’s already got the door to his room open.  “Hey, you going to eat?”

“In a few,” he taps his pen in irritation on his note book.  “I’m trying to get this started.”

Ruri frowns, “Maybe one visit isn’t enough?”

“Maybe.”

So he goes back to the bakery again the next day.  It’s not as crowded, and they’re working in the back.  Shun sees Yuugo, and the mom is currently kneading dough.  As for Yuuya--

“Welcome to the Sakaki Bakery!” Shun’s greeted by an all too cheerful voice.  Yuuya is standing at the register, chin in hands, and smile on face.  “You’re that food critic, yeah?  Kurosaki?”

“Just a college kid,” he says, walking up to the counter.  “I don’t know why people think I’m so famous.”

“Cause you’re good, duh,” Yuuya says this as if it’s the most obvious thing in the world.  “I mean, why else would you be at the event?”

“My sisters made me go,” apparently Yuuya finds this funny enough he starts laughing.  Loud and jubilant and cheeks going pink.  It’s incredibly unfair, if Shun thinks on it, because he’s just met this kid not too long ago and he makes a mean mint macaron.

Seriously.

“Sorry, I’m sorry,” Yuuya wipes the tears at the corners of his eyes.  “That’s a good one--I don’t think I’ve ever heard of an honored guest coming because his _sisters_ forced him to go.”  But it’s the truth.  Not like he should have expected anyone to believe him with his apparently five star food critic reputation.

“I don’t like sweets at all,” Shun says as he starts perusing the pastries laid out in the display, “so if I had a choice I wouldn’t have gone at all.”

“Then why’re you at our bakery?”

“Mint macarons,” Shun says.  “I liked them.  And I wanted more.”

Yuuya perks up, “Oh?  So you liked what I made that much?”  A grin.  “I’m super honored!  Thanks!  Unfortunately I didn’t make any macarons today, we had a big order lined up.  Oh, but I did make some cobbler.”

Shun grimaces.

“Too sweet?”

“A bit.”

Yuuya sighs, “A shame, it’s really good too--oh, but you’re a food critic so I don’t know it might not be good to you.”

“I’m not really one,” Shun doesn’t even know why he keeps insisting on this.  “I’ll eat it--just--”

“On the house then!” and Yuuya is going to the back.  Shun stands there, dumbfounded, because did that just happen?  Did he just get free cobbler because he didn’t like being called a food critic?  That’s something to wrap his head around.

Yuugo slinks up to the counter to take Yuuya’s place, “I’m watching you.”

“What?”

“You have, like, a three sentence limit.”

Shun blinks, “Excuse me--”

“Yuugo stop harassing customers!” Yuugo yelps as Yuuya shoves him out of the way.  “Geeze, this is why you’re almost always on kitchen duty!”  Yuuya is holding a plate of what looks to be fresh out of the oven peach cobbler.

“But, c’mon, Yuuya--”

“Here you go!” Yuuya hands him the cobbler, hands him a fork, and then looks expectant.  Like, eat it now, Kurosaki Shun, because this is on the house and you’re a critic and I know the real reason why you’re here.  Besides macarons of course.

Although that might just be Shun reading into it too much.

Yuugo’s already slunk off to the back, giving Shun one last evil eye before going back to cutting out dough pieces for a fresh batch of rolls.  Shun stares at the cobbler, picks up his fork, and takes a bite.

“So?”  Yuuya’s grinning.

Shun knows what he’s going to write.

 

 


	4. Blondies

“Are you stopping by the bakery _again_?” Ruri sounds exasperated, watching as Shun and Rin put their coats on.

“They have good things,” Shun says.  “And Rin just wants to see Yuugo--”

“Brother!”

Ruri is laughing with him.  “Aw, Rin, we really know why so you don’t _have_ to sound so modest or whatever,” she flicks her gaze over to Shun.  “I liked those eclairs you brought back last time.”

“I’ll get you some then,” he says and he’s out the door with Rin.

“Do I get another limit?”

“...still five sentences.”

Rin sighs.

She’s been looking forward to these weekly outings more than Shun does, and it’s been going on ever since his last visit.  The review he made had been published, he gave the bakery a good review (three and a half stars, almost four, if not because certain pastries had been left out too long and the wait time can be obnoxious), and each time he’d go and ask for the same thing.

“Mint macarons.”

“Again?” Yuuya’s laugh is easy.  His hands are clasped behind his head, his apron is dusted in flour, and he smells strongly of vanilla.  Shun can feel his heart beat in his ears.

“They were good,” he says.  “How did you even get into that event?”

“Mom pulled some strings,” Yuuya shrugs.  “She’s friends with the event host, so they decided why not.  ‘Yuuya, you’ve always been good at baking so maybe you can impress Mister Kurosaki!’”

Well, Yuuya certainly succeeded on that.

“Did you enjoy it?”

“About as much as you did,” Yuuya’s already pulling out the apple tart for Rin and two eclairs for Ruri.  “You looked ready to be sick up on that stage.”

“Close to it,” Shun admits.  “The mint macarons helped a bit.”

“Mint helps with upset stomachs...although I’m not sure if it applies in sweets,” Yuuya hands him the bag, fingers gliding over the keys of the register.  “Ten fifty.”

“Alright,” Shun’s fingers fumble with his card momentarily when they brush Yuuya’s.  He’s not sure why, they’ve done this transaction a million times before.  

“I got something new for you to try, too,” Yuuya tells him.  “It’s kind of sweet, though.”

“What are they?”

“Blondies--”

“Hey, hey, I said three sentence limit!” Yuugo’s already sliding between Yuuya and the register.  “Don’t just go giving him free stuff, Yuuya!”

“Yuuuuuugo,” Yuuya’s whining, “you’ve been talking to Rin all this time if you’re so mad let’s swap conversational partners one day!”  Yuugo huffs.

“No way--”

Shun stares Yuugo down, “Five sentence limit on my sister if that’s the case.”

“...you asshole,” Yuugo mumbles but relents.  He goes back to Rin, who’s looking amused and nibbling on her tart, and they go back to talking.  School, clubs, whatever.  Yuuya is already heading to the back, cutting into a tray of what Shun assumes is the blondies sitting on a cooling rack.

“They’re kind of like a new menu item we wanna test out?” Yuuya says.  “But we’re not quite sure if it’s going to make the cut--we put some pecans in them to sort of mellow out how sweet they are.”

Shun takes the small paper plate with the single blondie on it and takes a bite.  It’s...still too sweet, even with the pecans.  “Might need to adjust the recipe,” he says, “it’s still too sweet.  You aiming for that?”

“Not really,” Yuuya takes the plate back from him.  “We want people to enjoy our food!  Not make them sick.”

Shun admires that.

The door opens and a group of school girls come walking in, laughing to each other.  Yuuya gives Shun a smile, “Try what I make next time?”

“Yeah.”

Shun tries to keep his face from turning red.

 

 


	5. Hummingbird Cake

“I read your review of the bakery,” Yuuto says.  Best friends with Shun and Ruri since childhood, wants to go into psychology, looks like a delinquent.  Not that Shun can say much about his high school days, only changing his wardrobe because there needed to be some professional look to be held for his classes.

“You here to make fun of my side job again?” Shun is scrolling through some migration paths of certain birds.

“Maybe,” Yuuto flips the page of what he’s reading.  “But I’m surprised you gave that bakery such a low review considering you love it there.”

“It’s one of the few fours,” Shun tells him.

“You don’t have a five yet?”

Shun wants to say it’s the Sakaki Bakery, but he needs to not show favoritism.  Especially since he’s been finding himself warming up more and more to Sakaki Yuuya.  That and he doesn’t need people to think he’s being bribed, what with all the free samples Yuuya’s been giving him recently.

“Not yet,” he answers.  He clicks on another graph.

“Pickiest eater I know,” Yuuto drops the magazine.  “I guess that’s what helps you.  You must earn good money.”

“Kind of,” Shun shrugs.  “It gets me food and clothes and helps pay bills.”

Even though they still get money from their parents, who are out lord knows where now on their own jobs, because Ruri and Rin need to focus on their schooling.  

“How much do you earn?”

Silence.

“Don’t know.”

“Wow, Shun,” but Yuuto leaves it at that.  Shun continues his work in silence, and he’s pretty sure Yuuto’s fallen asleep.  That gives him enough time to work on his things.  Maybe start getting his notes together for a paper coming up.  He still has to decide on his topic--

“So when will you ask him out?” Yuuto pipes up.

Shun chokes, “W-what!?”

“Yuuya, was it?” Yuuto’s already getting up from Shun’s bed.  “You go like once a week and he gives you free food and if there’s one thing I know about you, Mister Food Critic who Hates Sweets, is that you don’t go to the same place weekly.”

Shun just stares at Yuuto’s back.

“Or even willingly eat their sweets,” Yuuto’s tugging on his shoes, “anyways I got practice see you later.”

Shun hears Ruri and Rin saying goodbye to Yuuto and that’s that.  He’s left sitting there, Yuuto’s question in his head, and confusion.  There’s no way he likes Sakaki Yuuya.  No way at all--

“But you should ask him out!” Ruri says as she passes by.  “Free pastries!”

Shun puts his headphones to block anything else out.

It still doesn’t stop the next meeting with Yuuya from being awkward.

Yuuya’s texting on his phone when Shun comes in, the bakery in a rare lull, and when he sees Shun he’s all teeth and rosy cheeks.  Just like he is every time Shun comes in and is it possible that there’s some correlation or is this another case of Shun looking too into it again.

“I was wondering if you’d appear or not!” Yuuya’s already straightening up.  “I like it when you come.  You’re like my favorite customer!”

Shun’s neck heats up, “School is getting busy so I may be a bit scarce.”

A frown, “Aw, that’s pretty lame.  Then that means I should come over there, right--”

“No way, nuh-uh,” Yuugo slings an arm around Yuuya.  “Not in a million years stay away from my brother.”

“But then Rin would have to stay away from you,” Yuuya says.  Yuugo gives a strangled noise, stares at Shun balefully, and then slumps over the counter.

“Whhhhy did you have to be Rin’s older brother,” Yuugo whines.  “Whhhhy did--”

“So I made something new I wanted you to try!” Yuuya says, cutting off whatever Shun had to say.  

“A new pastry?”

“A cake!” Yuuya’s going to the back.  “A recipe I picked up from someone passing through--a Hummingbird Cake is what they called it!”  A Hummingbird Cake?  Shun reaches for his phone to look that up, but Yuugo beats him to the punch.

“It’s like some banana pineapple spice cake thing,” he says.  His words are muffled by the counter.  Banana pineapple spice cake?  It doesn’t sound quite up Shun’s alley but he’d try it regardless.

“Here you are!” Yuuya places the slice of cake, topped in a light glaze, in front of Shun.  It smells incredibly good and seeing the chunks of fruit in it make Shun’s mouth water.  He picks the plate up, takes a piece out of it with the plastic fork given to him, and eats it.

A cinnamon spice floods his mouth, followed by the juiciness of the pineapple and--

“It’s not bad,” he says, “not bad at all--”

And that’s all he remembers saying.  The next time he’s awake is in a hospital room, staring at a ceiling, with Ruri and Rin next to him.

 

 


	6. Hibiscus Medley Cake

“I wasn’t expecting you to be severely allergic to pineapple,” Yuuya’s coming into his room, shutting the door behind him.  He’s got a basket in his hand, a checkered cloth over the top.

“It’s a bit embarrassing,” Shun admits.  “Thank you, by the way.”

“Man, you should see the head lines,” Yuuya laughs, sitting down next to Shun and placing the basket down on the night stand next to the bed.  “Sakaki Bakery criticized after sending food critic Kurosaki to the hospital.”

“Do they really say that?”

“Yep,” Yuuya reaches into the basket and pulls out a newspaper.  There, on the front, is the headline that Yuuya had been talking about.  Shun takes it from him and frowns.

“They’ll latch on to anything,” he says.  “I apologize if business took a hit because of me.”

The least he can say, considering it’s his fault as well.  He’s never eaten pineapple in his life, so he himself didn’t know he’d react like he did.  Yuuya shrugs, reaching into the basket and pulling out two paper plates.  “You brought something,” Shun says.

“To make up for the pineapple,” and Yuuya pulls out a cake with a light pink buttercream spread on it.  “Hibiscus Medley Cake.”

“Hibiscus Medley,” Shun watches as Yuuya then grabs a plastic knife and starts cutting into the cake.  “As in...the flower?”

“Yep, some Hibiscus does go into it,” Yuuya puts a slice on a plate, “and I put in some chopped maraschino cherries in it, for some more flavor.  Don’t worry, no pineapple.”

Shun just accepts the cake Yuuya offers him.

“So you came to give me an apology cake,” he takes a bite.  It’s sweet, even more so from the icing and cherries, but he doesn’t find himself minding.  He takes another bite of the cake, and Yuuya cuts a slice for himself.  

“Yeah,” Yuuya laughs, “silly, right?”

Shun feels that warmth in his chest, “No.  It’s nice.”

“I think that’s like the first thing nice out of you I’ve heard,” Yuuya leans back in his chair.  “You know, besides complimenting my baking.”

Shun is silent.

He really hadn’t realized that.  Honestly, he enjoyed going every week not only for the free pastries, the chance of eating those mint macarons, but also--

Realization hits him.  It hits him hard, a train wreck of emotions that burst inside of him.  “Shun?” Yuuya sounds worried.  “Shun, do you need me to call the nurse--”

“No, no,” even if he’s doing a boiled lobster impersonation, it’s not life threatening.  Shun takes another bite of the Hibiscus Medley Cake.

God, they’re right.

They’re right.

 

 


	7. Mint Macarons Again

“You writing so many reviews for one place makes it show favoritism more than anything,” Reiji tells him over a phone call.  Shun is currently doing crunch time and Reiji is…doing whatever it is CEOs do.  Shun’s not entirely sure.

“I’ve only written two,” Shun tells him.  “And they fixed things from last time.”

“Hibiscus Medley Cake isn’t even on the menu,” Reiji’s voice hides a laugh.  “And what’s with this ‘Sakaki Yuuya’?”

“He’s the one who made it,” Shun curses as he messes up a sentence.  “I have to credit the chef.”

“It sounds like you’re in love.”

“And?”

There’s another stifled laugh.

“Famed food critic Kurosaki Shun charmed by simple baker from a local bakery.”

“Hey--”

“So, is this your way of asking him out?”

Shun hangs up on Reiji.

But maybe he did pour a bit of his soul into it, maybe he said a lot more of what he might possibly (no, more than possibly) feel in his review.  Perhaps Yuuya could see the message Shun had put in there.  How many weeks since the event?  How many weeks since he’s tasted the mint macarons and how many dishes has Yuuya charmed Shun with?  How many smiles?  Laughs?

“This is ridiculous,” Shun scrubs at his face with his palms.

“Hey, bro?” Ruri is opening the door.  “Rin wants an apple tart from the bakery, but she can’t go.”

“Why not?” he’s already getting up.

“She needs to go and do something, and the bakery will be closed when she’s done,” Ruri moves aside for him.

“I’ll do it,” he says.  “Do you want anything?”

“....mint macarons!” she chirps.  “Since you love them so much.”

If the bakery has them, he thinks, and makes his way to the bus stop so he can head to the Sakaki Bakery.  

It’s another slow day, it looks like, and it’s just Yuuya behind the counter.  He’s reading a magazine, one that Shun sends articles to frequently.  His heart stutters.  Yuuya looks up when the door jingles.  That same smile Shun’s fallen for spreads on his face.

“Welcome back!  What do you want?” he’s putting the magazine down.

“An apple tart,” Shun’s eyes flick to the display case, where colorful macarons now sit.  Yuuya must have had time to make them.

“For Rin?”

“Yeah.”

“Anything else.”

Shun licks his lips, “Mint macarons.”

The laugh Yuuya makes is soft, sweet, and Shun thought he used to not like sweets.  “Well, you’re in luck,” Yuuya reaches for a box he had sitting to the side, “I made some--just for you.”  

“You...did,” Shun purses his lips.  “Didn’t have to.”

“Well, you keep asking for them, besides,” Yuuya holds up the magazine, “your review of me and my dishes is just so flattering.”  Yuuya’s smile crinkles the corners of his eyes softly, and Shun takes in how Yuuya’s eyes sparkle and the rosy flush to his cheeks starts subdued--from smiles more than laughter.  “You know, Kurosaki Shun,” Yuuya leans forward on the counter, “is this review your way of asking me out?”

“Maybe,” Shun doesn’t stop himself from saying it.

“Food critics are weird,” Yuuya chuckles.  “Or is that just you.”

“I was charmed by mint macarons, you make the connections.”

“Yeah, you’re right.”

Shun thinks this is the appropriate time to lean in for a kiss.  Awkward and chaste and chapped lips to chapped lips.  Yuuya tastes like berries.  Shun wants to keep on kissing him, but he thinks about how not polite it is to be kissing in the middle of a public bakery.

They pull apart.

“Hope you enjoy those mint macarons.”

“I will.”

“Where do you want to go?”

“Movie?”

“Sure.”

Shun leaves with Yuuya’s number in his pocket and a box of mint macarons.


End file.
